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Health & Wellness

Health & Wellness
Health & Wellness

 

 

Missing hometown food

If I miss Laksa Sarawak, I'll always go to Restoran Gembira at Taman Megah, PJ. The husband and wife who runs this stall are from Miri, Sarawak. This bowl costs RM4.50 and the portion is just nice, not too filling. The gravy/soup heals my homesickness because that's how Laksa Sarawak should taste like. Must eat with its delicious chilli-belacan paste and half a lime. Fabulous!

This is Kam Pua, meaning Sarawak Dry Noodles. Same stall, RM3.80. The char siew and minced pork are lean. The noodles are handmade and springy. Another remedy to heal homesickness :D

Before my dad passed away, he'll always buy either Laksa Sarawak or Kam Pua for me whenever I fly home. Some memories are good to keep :)
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Fabulous jelly mooncakes

Look at these jelly mooncakes! Aren't they pretty? All of them have 3 jelly layers - the outer colorful layer (pale green - pandan, pinkish - red bean, purplish - dragon fruit, dark brown - coffee); the second layer (milky); and the innermost egg yolk-like layer. Yummy!
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Thinking aloud!

Here are 3 stories for us to ponder upon.

The Turtles
A turtle family decided to go on a picnic. The turtles, being naturally slow about things, took seven years to prepare for their outing. Finally the turtle family left home looking for a suitable place. During the second year of their journey they found a place ideal for them at last!

For about six months they cleaned the area, unpacked the picnic basket, and completed the arrangements. Then they discovered they had forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they all agreed. After a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the salt from home. Although he was the fastest of the slow moving turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in his shell. He agreed to go on one condition: that no one would eat until he returned. The family consented and the little turtle left.

Three years passed and the little turtle had not returned. Five years... six years... then on the seventh year of his absence, the oldest turtle could no longer contain his hunger. He announced that he was going to eat and begun to unwrap a sandwich.

At that point the little turtle suddenly popped out from behind a tree shouting, "See! I knew you wouldn't wait. Now I am not going to go get the salt."

Moral of the story:
Some of us waste our time waiting for people to live up to our expectations. We are so concerned about what others are doing that we don't do anything ourselves.

The Frogs
A farmer came into town and asked the owner of a restaurant if he could use a million frog legs. The restaurant owner was shocked and asked the man where could he get so many frog legs! The farmer replied, "There is a pond near my house that is full of frogs - millions of them. They all croak all night long and they are about to make me crazy!" So the restaurant owner and the farmer made an agreement that the farmer would deliver frogs to the restaurant, five hundred at a time for the next several weeks.

The first week, the farmer returned to the restaurant looking rather sheepish, with two scrawny little frogs. The restaurant owner said, "Well... where are all the frogs?" The farmer said, "I was mistaken. There were only these two frogs in the pond. But they sure were making a lot of noise!"

Moral of the story:
Next time you hear somebody criticizing or making fun of you, remember, it's probably just a couple of noisy frogs. Also remember that problems always seem bigger in the dark. Have you ever laid in your bed at night worrying about things which seem almost overwhelming like a million frogs croaking? Chances are pretty good that when the morning comes, and you take a closer look, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

The Pretty Lady
Once upon a time a big monk and a little monk were traveling together. They came to the bank of a river and found the bridge was damaged. They had to wade across the river. There was a pretty lady who was stuck at the damaged bridge and couldn't cross the river.

The big monk offered to carry her across the river on his back. The lady accepted. The little monk was shocked by the move of the big monk. "How can big brother carry a lady when we are supposed to avoid all intimacy with females?" thought the little monk. But he kept quiet. The big monk carried the lady across the river and the small monk followed unhappily. When they crossed the river, the big monk let the lady down and they parted ways with her.

All along the way for several miles, the little monk was very unhappy with the act of the big monk. He was making up all kinds of accusations about the big monk in his head. This got him madder and madder. But he still kept quiet. The big monk had no inclination to explain his situation. Finally, at a rest point many hours later, the little monk could not stand it any further, he burst out angrily at the big monk. "How can you claim yourself a devout monk, when you seize the first opportunity to touch a female, especially when she is very pretty? All your teachings to me make you a big hypocrite!" The big monk looked surprised and said, "I had put down the pretty lady at the river bank many hours ago, how come you are still carrying her along?"

Moral of the story:
This very old Chinese Zen story reflects the thinking of many people today. We encounter many unpleasant things in our life, they irritate us and they make us angry. Sometimes, they cause us a lot of hurt, sometimes they cause us to be bitter or jealous. But like the little monk, we are not willing to let them go away. We keep on carrying the baggage of the 'pretty lady' with us. We let them keep on coming back to hurt us, make us angry, make us bitter and cause us a lot of agony. Why? Simply because we are not willing to put down or let go of the baggage of the 'pretty lady'. We should let go of the pretty lady immediately after crossing the river, that is after the unpleasant event is over. This will immediately remove all our agonies. There is no need to be hurt further by the unpleasant event after it is over.

Remember: Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life.
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Which Changeling Are You?

Elementals
"To err is human; to not err is perfection."

Round about, round about,
Bleed and Behold!
Reel away, keel away,
Spin your flesh into gold!

Sometimes there’s such a thing as wanting too much. This is a case where there once lived a King and Queen who reigned in a country a great way off. Now the King and Queen had everything they could desire, but lacked a child – and this too they craved.

One day by the river the answer to their fervent wishes came true. Unbeknownst to them a fae had answered with a binding contract.

"If they take this child, I shall take her back."

This silent waif of a beauty was playing idly by the river. And in the Queen’s contrivance, she stole the girl for hers to keep. The King and Queen were overwhelmed with joy and now they needed a celebration.

"I will have the faeries dine so that they will be kind and good to our little daughter."

Now there were thirteen faeries in the kingdom; but as the king and queen had only twelve golden dishes for them to eat out of, they were forced to leave one of the fairies without asking her.

Twelve faeries came, each with a high red cap on her head and red shoes with high heels on her feet. After the feast was over they gathered round in a ring and gave all their best gifts to the little princess. One gave her goodness and another gave beauty, another gave riches and so on – till she had all the good in the world. Her parent’s were very pleased.

As soon as the last gift was given, a great noise was heard in the courtyard and word was – the thirteenth faerie had arrived. She carried with her a black cap and black shoes with high heels on her feet. Now as she had not been asked to the feast she was very angry indeed.

"My gift, upon the Princess’s birthday is that she shall fall still as a statue and never live again. You have wanted much in your quest of life and you have received much. Your daughter will be the envy of nations – as will she be but a trophy."

Upon the beautiful girl’s 15th birthday – she became eternally beautiful. Like a statue she remained – the envy of all nations – and certainly a beautiful trophy for a likewise trophy King and Queen.

The changelings whose time in the land of the Fae caused them to embody the material aspects of nature feel the fae magic most painfully. They have been changed the most. The journey home was hardest for the Elementals because they had been transformed too far. They had less reason to escape. Their humanity had been damaged and twisted by what they endured. Often – for nothing they did. They were suitable for some contrived effort or scheme a faerie was concocting.

Elementals are the hardest to understand. Others reveal beauties, horrors, tricksters and even animals – in each something is revealed about ourselves. But this set of changelings were influenced and carved with the desire of objects and forces. They serve as examples of becoming what they are addicted to, becoming what they strive for. Theirs is a lesson in Desire and Avarice.

Which Changeling Are You?
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蛮有意义的话

想不通的时候,试试倒过来想吧!

试着在自己身上发现全新的面貌!

拥有一颗柔软的心是为了包容更多的爱。

今天吃得下的,绝不放到明天再吃!

没关系。。。我还有半杯满满的水!

外表越强壮越需要一颗温柔的心。

人生最好玩的地方就是你永远想不到下一步。

跌倒了。。。那就睡饱再爬起来吧!

当天空开始流泪,别忘了给它安慰。

满足于单纯;单纯于满足。

懂得放弃,才学的到真正的胜利!

与其哭着忍受,不如笑着享受。
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Stay happy

From an email.

"Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice."

1. Pray.

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day un-rushed.

4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and un-clutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

16. Get enough rest.

17. Eat right.

18. Get organized so everything has its place.

19. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

20. Write down thoughts and inspirations.

21. Every day, find time to be alone.

22. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.

23. Make friends.

24. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.

25. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you God."

26. Laugh.

27. Laugh some more!

28. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

29. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).

30. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

31. Sit on your ego.

32. Talk less; listen more.

33. Slow down.

34. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

35. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.

Seek not to find who you are, but to determine who you want to be. Stop looking for a purpose as to why you are here. Create it. Life is not a process of discovery but a process of creation.
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Today's Bible verse :: He guards us from stumbling

Today's Bible verses that remind me of the Lord who guards us from stumbling.

Jude vv. 24-25
But to Him who is able to guard you from stumbling and to set you before His glory without blemish in exultation, to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, might, and authority before all time and now and unto all eternity. Amen.

* Cross reference for But to Him... (Jude v. 24) is the following verse.
1 Peter 5:10
But the God of all grace, He who has called you into His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself perfect, establish, strengthen, and ground you.

*Cross references for ...guard... (Jude v. 24) are the following verses.
1 Peter 1:5
Who are being guarded by the power of God through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed at the last time.

John 17:15
I do not ask that You would take them out of the world, but that You would keep them out of the hands of the evil one.

*Cross reference for ...stumbling... (Jude v. 24) is the following verse.
2 Peter 1:10
Therefore, brothers, be the more diligent to make your calling and selection firm, for doing these things you shall by no means ever stumble.

I realize that the Lord has asked and is still asking the Father to keep me out of the hands of the evil one. A sister shared with me Jude 24-25, concerning the Lord who is able to guard us from stumbling and that this guarding is by faith. So, on our side, faith in the Lord is so crucial. Then, from there, I found out so many related verses from the cross references!

The Recovery Version is truly a companion.
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Nyonya food at Melaka Street Restaurant, SS2

I love petai when I've my first sambal udang petai a few years back. It's indeed "love at first sight". Haha...

A friend, mother of a 17-year old son brought me to Melaka Street Restaurant at SS2 after church meeting to satisfy my "kempunan" for petai. :D


Nice restaurant with good food, but a bit too oily. Health-conscious persons like me won't wanna come here too often.

Petai Fried Rice (RM7.90)
This is my lunch. Hmmm... A bit too oily for me. I only like the petais anyway. The portion is okay for lunch but I won't recommend such an oily meal for dinner after 7pm.


Nyonya Fried Rice (RM7.90)
My church friend's lunch. She commented that the portion is a bit too large. Usually she won't take so much rice.


Nyonya Brinjal (RM11)
Again... oily. The brinjals are slightly fried to preserve the purplish color and texture of the skin.


Melaka Street Ais Kacang (RM4.50)
This is my dessert. Its portion is just nice with satisfactory amount of hidden treasure beneath the ice. Not too sweet. I tasted santan so in the end, I decided not to finish the whole thing.

Melaka Street Cendol (RM4.50)
My church friend commented that the ingredients are not that satisfactory to her palate. So, she also didn't finish her dessert.
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Movies about eyes

I like creepy tales and I think it's a brilliant idea to portray human eyes as the focus of creepy-crawly movies such as these...


All three movies were directed by the Pang Brothers and have actors and actresses from both Hong Kong and Thailand. Each movie has its own characteristics and they are not related to one another except for the fact of seeing ghosts with one's very own eyes.
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Let's try the Filipino cuisine~

Update: This restaurant is not operating any longer.

After watching a Filipino
movie, I think I want to try Filipino food again. I have tried authentic Filipino dishes when I went to the Philippines in June 2006. By the way, there's no such word as Philippino. It should be Filipino. Check here.

Effortlessly (meaning I just need to google once and got it straight away), I found this restaurant - Cagayan's, G107-108, Centre Point, Bandar Utama, PJ. More about this restaurant.

Bwahahaha... So near my house. I couldn't believe my luck. Thank God I do not need to go to KL or Cheras or Kajang or any such place outside PJ.


Enoki Mushroom with Bacon (RM9)

Pinakbet (RM8)
This is a vegetables dish with kangkung, pumpkin, bitter gourd, long beans, ladies' fingers (okra), eggplant, and chicken slices, fried with shrimp paste.

Chicken Sinigang (RM9)
This is tamarind soup with tomatoes, chilies, chicken, long beans, eggplant, kangkung. Quite sour and a bit spicy. If Thailand has Tom Yam, the Philippines has Sinigang.

Halo Halo (RM5)
Just like our very own ais kacang but Halo Halo has slightly different ingredients. This one has frozen banana slices, sago, red beans, and nata de coco. I think it has evaporated milk and something else that distinguishes it from the local ais kacang. And I don't know what is it. I've blogged about Halo Halo before.

This is how it looks like before you mix everything up.


And this is how it looks like after you mix everything up.
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Keeping going on

An article from Cleo, June 2008 that deals with how to be just like a pro in the working environment for working ladies.

1. Be at work during working hours. Try not to stroll in late, go for retail therapy after lunch or scoot off early to meet your boyfriend. (My note: No worries, I appear at my cubicle before working hours and I usually leave the office building about 2 hours after working hours. :D)

2. Start on assignments immediately and not delay till the very last minute. (My note: Agree. Procrastination is a hateful attitude.)

3. Dress for success. You don't need a wardrobe that resembles the ladies department at the store - just look well-groomed and appropriately dressed. (My note: Dress smart!)

4. Leave your moods at home. Avoid PMS tantrums and the like. Always be cool-headed and businesslike. (My note: Oh... I see.)

5. Be dependable. Keep your promises and carry out your duties. (My note: Ahhh... Of course!)

6. Be a reassuring presence. Speak knowledgeably, work quietly and well. (My note: Meaning, don't be emotional laaa... Hmmm...)

7. Not exploit your feminity. Although you can get your way this way, don't - it's sneaky. (My note: What is exploiting feminity? *scratch head*)

8. Be above reproach. Don't even pinch the office teabags. (My note: My conscience is clear.)

9. Not be overcame. Bounce back from criticism or failure. (My note: Yep! Shit happens and you just can't stay there for too long.)

10. Find a way. If a problem occurs, don't just stand there, quickly think of something! (My note: Yep! Sooner or later something must be done to clear the shit, so why not sooner? But, better don't make me a scapegoat or you watch out.)

Additional advices:

1. The mistake most women make at the office is getting too emotional, then straying from the problem when they negotiate, because they focus on the "me" perspective. But if you focus on what the other person cares about, by shifting to the "you" perspective, then the chances of you getting what you want are much higher. (My note: Hmmm... Very interesting. Shall learn this while dealing with my superior and team members.)

2. Women usually fail to ask for a raise or promotion. Men are four times more likely to do so compared to women. That's because most women tend to feel that if they deserve a promotion, they will get it automatically. Men recognize that they have to ask their bosses for it. (My note: Oh, is it? Let me write it here then. I want a raise.)

3. You can ask for a promotion by telling your boss that you are keen on becoming a middle manager, and would like to find out what you have to do to get it. Then, identify projects your boss really cares about and find a way to help him/her to attain those targets. (My note: I see. I gotta think of more stuffs for my current project then. Think-Plan-Execute. God, please help me!)

4. Start getting what you want by setting a goal. Even for something as straightforward as meetings, try to think of setting specific objectives of your own. That way, you will end up with information that is useful to you. (My note: My goal? I shall be higher than just copywriter/operations executive by 2009).
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"Lost" while watching Missing

To tell the truth, I'm quite lost while watching Missing. Well, not that the story is not good. As usual, director Tsui Hark likes to make films that has no particular direction.

At first, I thought this movie is all about a ghost's revenge but it turns out to be something else. It seems to be about romance in a very fairy tale-like manner but there's just not enough chemistry between the male and female protagonists. Freaky moments are scarce but one good scene is that of Isabella Leong being possessed. Most of the time the movie drags on with me trying to understand which scenes are part of Lee Sinje's hallucination and which scenes are real.

Anyway, it's still an okay watch to kill time. Compared to "The Eye", I think Lee Sinje is getting better in portraying her emotions with her facial expressions, especially with her big haunting eyes. :P
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Don't play with Ouija

Here's another one from the Philippines - Ouija.

This 2007 movie is considered very mild for me. The scary moments were predictable and the ghost was not scary at all. The story was about a group of girls haunted by the spirit whom they summoned with the Ouija board but unfortunately, did not send it back to where it came from. So, the kesian spirit was, so-called trapped in the human world and began to haunt them one by one.

So, you know, as usual, they gotta find out who was it and where was it buried before they all got killed. Two of the four girls died. Oh well...

Watch it if you are looking for a not-so-scary horror movie :D
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Go Green with DiGi

There's still lots to be done.
Help us spread the word.

Go green with DiGi

Click on the tagline Go green with DiGi to make your pledge.
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Fruit Salad with Yogurt

Fruit Salad with Yogurt is delicious and extremely easy to prepare! And surprisingly, if I eat it for breakfast, it can keep me quite full till lunch time and thoughts of snacking before lunch is diminished.

Ingredients:
2 medium bananas
1 medium red apple
1 tablespoon of honey
4 tablespoons of low fat plain yogurt
A handful of muesli

How?
1. Cut bananas and apple into bite-sized portions.
2. In a bowl, mix fruits and yogurt together.
3. Add honey and mix well again.
4. Add muesli but don't mix. Leave it on top.
5. EAT!

Hmmm... I'm thinking of adding some other fruits next time, e.g. kiwi and grapes. Yummy!
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Soup is good

It has been a long time since I cooked soup. Since I'm on leave today, I made up my mind to cook a pot of ABC soup. I used a rice cooker as the soup pot (haven't gotten myself a slow cooker yet) but the result is still fantastic! Since I can press the "keep warm" button after cooking is done, I can leave it for dinner as well.

ABC soup is the easiest meal that anyone can cook. I love it since young. There are many versions of ABC soup and it's up to one to add whatever ingredients that they fancy.

Ingredients (for 2 persons):
3 small potatoes, coarsely cubed
3 small yellow onions, quartered
1 medium-sized carrot, coarsely cubed
A few sticks of celery, thickly sliced
1 chicken thigh
Salt to taste

How?
1. Skin chicken thigh, peel off all fat layers, and chop into 4-5 parts.
2. Bring 1 liter of water to boil. Add in chicken.
3. When the meat has changed color, add onions, potatoes, and carrots. After 10-15 minutes, add celery.
4. When the vegetables are soft, turn off heat and keep warm in the pot.
5. Add salt to taste.

This "default" ABC soup is just so simple to prepare. It's delicious and nutritious. To add more flavor, use yellow onions of good quality. The taste is really different. Add pork if you want an even stronger flavored soup. In some other versions, I found out that people may add tomatoes, corn, and beetroot. Hmmm... I'll try those next time.
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Movie: Mirrors (2008)

Hmmm... I think I'll retract this statement: I won't watch anymore Hollywood remakes of Asian horror-thriller movies. At first, I was quite firm with my standing of no more remakes for me after watching The Eye (2008) - remake of the 2002 Hong Kong-Thai-Singaporean movie of the same name and also Shutter (2008) - remake of the 2004 Thai movie of the same name.

However, Mirrors (2008) is a totally different thing. Mirrors (poster title: MIRЯORS) is a 2008 remake of the 2003 South Korean horror movie Into the Mirror, directed by Alexandre Aja, director of the remake of The Hills Have Eyes, and starring Kiefer Sutherland.

At least I could say that Mirrors 2008 is far better than the South Korean version. The storyline was adjusted to suit the Western world, which is far better than just following the original plot. There are quite a number of freaking-ly horrible scenes, e.g. when Angela dislocated her jaws. Yucks!

I like the idea that the evil spirits were trapped in the mirrors and have been waiting for their "host" to come back so that they could reside in her again. However, I don't like the ending. So sad. Anyway, great watch.
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Between angels and devils

A friend is "obsessed" with the terms 'angel' and 'devil' nowadays. :P

In the Bible, examples of good angels are Gabriel and Michael.

Gabriel announces good news to God's children.

Luke 1:19
And the angel answered and said to him, I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and I was sent to speak to you and to announce the good news of these things to you.

Luke 1:26

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth.

Luke 1:30

And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace with God.

Michael wars against Satan (the dragon) when the end of the days come.

Jude 1:9
But Michael the archangel, when he contended with the devil and disputed concerning the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a reviling judgment against him but said, The Lord rebuke you.

Revelation 12:7
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels went to war with the dragon. And the dragon warred and his angels.

Bad angels are the two-thirds who followed Lucifer (former archangel) when he was cast down from the heaven and became Satan. He was proud of his beauty (refer Ezekiel 28:13-17 below) and says, "I will..." 5 times, of which all are aspiration to be higher than the Almighty God (refer Isaiah 14:12-15 below). In fact, pride and covetousness are the worst enemies in our being.

Isaiah 14:12-15
How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.

Ezekiel 28:13-17
You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the ruby, the topaz and the diamond; the beryl, the onyx and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the midst of the stones of fire. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you. By the abundance of your trade you were internally filled with violence, and you sinned; therefore I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, that they may see you.

Anyway, there's one thing that I'm pretty impressed: People could act angelic in an outward way but inwardly, they are devilish to the very core of their being. The term used would be "devils in disguise."

I don't know how to end this post. I just know that sometimes we act like an angel and sometimes we act like a devil. As God's children, walking amongst people of this crooked and perverted generation, we really need God's mercy and grace. We really do.
1

Great article about design & branding

Below is a great article about design & branding :: Olympic Games.

Design and Branding Trends: Olympic Games
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最近的领悟

不想太多人看透我最近的心情,因此,只好用华语来表达我内心的状况。你也许问回我,不想让人知道,干吗 blog about it 呢?

Oh well, 我只想找个能让我呼吸的空间。我不喜欢找人谈心事,那叫浪费时间,也不切实际。Blogging 成了我最佳的发泄channel!

哈哈!还好有许多“香蕉”,他们是看不懂我写什么的。太棒了!

So, here I go!

这一年来,好多我认识的朋友都陆陆续续的踏入婚姻的阶段。有些甚至比我还年轻,也有的已是一个宝宝的父母了。数来数去,至少有十对。Can you imagine?

刚开始,的确有点纳闷,也蛮不开心的。但后来,老实说,我喜欢我现在的生活。除了不可乱花钱之外,我敢说我没有其他的牵挂。虽然说,赚来的钱本该拿来花的,但对我来说,没储蓄就是没保障。所以,还得要有智慧的用。不过,该吃一餐好的时候,我可舍得花的呀!看到漂亮的衣服或鞋子,买下也无妨。哈哈!我的钱,我自己花。

So, actually, 我不喜欢被人绑住,特别是被感情困扰。很多时候是我自己自作多情,也有的时候是我一厢情愿,明知道人家没意思,还死命留着一线希望,盼望真情最终能打动对方。更糟糕的是我太在意对方的感受而辛苦了自己。现在想起来,也真觉得自己好愚蠢。哈哈!

碰了三次钉子之后,我学会了更加保护自己。我对自己说,我不再相信爱和情这两个字。我不想也不愿再心动。我不想再坐情绪 rollercoaster. 一面来说,默默等待真的很不好受;但另一面,稍微主动一点点也不被人看在眼里,只能说敌不过天意,事在人为不一定每次都用得着。

However, 现在多轻松呀!没惦记着任何人,也没对任何人动心,更棒的是我已对人家不再保留一线希望。虽然有时会觉得寂寞,但那只不过是一时的感觉。

所以,同样这句话:我喜欢我现在的生活,just like the black bear on the tree. 它好像说,"I want to forget sad things. I want to be happy. Will I?"

OF COURSE I WILL! :D
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Happy Birthday, Bloggie!

Dear Bloggie,

Happy Birthday! You are 1 year old today and you have 413 posts and this is your 414th post.

I'm so proud of you!

Cheers,
Joyce
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Face the 4bia

Lately, Thailand surprises suspense-thriller-horror movie lovers with this latest flick: 4bia (Phobia) or See Praeng. I must say it's a good watch.

It is a 4-part movie directed by 4 different directors, thus the name 4bia and the plots are not related to one another.
And indeed, it's Thailand's top grossing movie of 2008, from the directors of Alone, Shutter, and Body #19.

Here are the stories:

1. Happiness:
A lonely young girl, unemployed due to a car accident that caused her to be bed-ridden with a broken left leg began to receive SMSes from an unknown number seeking for friendship. Delighted, she began to communicate with the anonymous sender. All went well until the guy asked her to send him her photo. She sent and asked him to send his, only to get the same photo back with a note: "Look very closely beside you." That's when things get real creepy and freaky.
Note: This is my favorite plot. No exchange of conversations. Just a mobile phone plus SMSes to convey the story.
Eerie to the core and I must say that the ending is pretty cool!

2. Tit for Tat: A bunch of high school bullies had gone too far when they accidentally shoved a schoolboy whom they bullied from the vehicle that they were traveling on. To make matters worse, this school boy who was sick of being bullied had conjured up some form of black magic. Those who were under the curse will die spectacular deaths such as being crushed by an air conditioner or burnt to death.

3. In the Middle: Four friends, Ter, Aey, Shin, Phuak, were telling one another ghost stories while camping in the jungle. One of them commented jokingly that if he were to die, he would haunt the one who's sleeping in the middle. In the end, something terrible really happened and before you knew it, they were asking one another if he really survived the accident.

4. Last Fright: A female air stewardess, Pim, was requested to serve a princess on board. Actually, Pim was the reason for the princess' marital problems. The mean-looking princess knew all along and this was the sole reason she requested her to serve her on the flight.

Read on...
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Makan time~

South Western Grilled Lamb from Chili's. RM29.95

As usual, shared this with my sister. After drinking 2 big jugs of tomato juice, I can't take in the whole plate. I love the cauliflowers and broccolis. The mash potato is superb too! Recommended!
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Let's pray for GOLD!

Lee stumbles but prevails.

Lin joins Lee in the final showdown.

If he (Lee Chong Wei) wins in the final, it would be the first ever Olympic gold for Malaysia. Lin Dan is a very good player as well. So, let's pray for Malaysia's first ever Olympic gold.

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Carrot, egg or Oolong tea?

From an email.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed Oolong tea. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She took the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the Oolong out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and Oolong tea," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the Oolong. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The Oolong tea was unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water color and taste.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a Oolong tea?"

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart? Or am I like the Oolong tea? The tea actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.

If you are like the tea, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a Oolong tea?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

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The Boxes

From an email.

I have in my hands two boxes,
Which God gave me to hold.
He said, "Put all your sorrows in the black box,
And all your joys in the gold."

I heeded His words, and in the two boxes,
Both my joys and sorrows I stored.
But though the gold became heavier each day,
The black was as light as before.

With curiosity, I opened the black,
I wanted to find out why,
And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole,
Which my sorrows had fallen out by.

I showed the hole to God, and mused,
"I wonder where my sorrows could be!"
He smiled a gentle smile and said,
"My child, they're all here with me."

I asked God, why He gave me the boxes,
Why the gold and the black with the hole?
"My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings,
The black is for you to let go."
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Gone missing...

Dunno how true are these liners but they are ironically hilarious! Emails do wonders!

Disclaimer: Neither politics nor racism issues intended, at least from the point view of my intention to post this here.

Get Vietnamese workers, dogs missing.

Get Bangladeshi workers, Malay girls missing.
Get Indonesian workers, money missing.
Get Indian workers, jewellery missing.
Get Chinese workers, husbands missing.
Call the police, the evidence goes missing,
Call the lawyers, the judge goes missing,
Call the ministry of transport, the reports go missing
Change the government, funds go missing,

Say something and you may be missing.

LOL!
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The Brick

Another inspiring piece from an email.

THE BRICK

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door!


He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?"

The young boy was apologetic. "Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do" - he pleaded - "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..."

With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car.


"It's my brother. He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."


Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."


Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.


"Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger.

Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.


It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: "Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!"

God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.

Thought for the Day:

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.
If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring.
He sends you a sunrise every morning.
Face it, friend - He is crazy about you!

God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.

Read this line very slowly and let it sink in...

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it, and carry you over it.
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Filem-filem seram

Filem Melayu pertama yang saya tontoni ialah Puteri Gunung Ledang. Filem ini bukan filem seram. Ia lebih merupakan filem bertemakan cinta dan lagenda, lakonan Tiara Jacquelina dan M. Nasir.

Oleh sebab saya peminat filem seram, saya mula memberi perhatian terhadap filem-filem seram Melayu dan saya dapati mulai tahun lepas, filem-filem sebegini semakin baik kualitinya.

Antara yang saya tontoni termasuklah: Puaka Tebing Biru (lakonan Umie Aida, Nasha Aziz dan Sharifah Amani), Chermin (lakonan Natasha Hudson, Farid Kamil dan Deanna Yusoff), dan Jangan Pandang Belakang (lakonan Pierre Andre dan Intan Ladyana).

Baru-baru ini, setelah menonton filem Susuk di pawagam, ada lagi dua filem seram yang saya "kejar" di Youtube.

Meremang bulu roma apabila lagu "Tepuk Amai-Amai" dimainkan semasa hantu budak itu muncul.

Tepuk amai-amai
Belalang kupu-kupu
Tepuk ramai-ramai
Emak upah susu

Susu lemak manis
Santan kelapa muda
Adik jangan menangis
Emak ada kerja

Congkak
Opah: Kita pergi rumah opahlah. Kita main congkak. Sana, tak ada orang kacau.
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Why did you kill him?

He waved a knife at me, daring me to come forward. What luck am I having now? I was scared but tried to stay calm. All I could think of was how to get the hell out of here. I hated this room. Why was I here? How did I get here?

C'mon! C'mon! What should I do? I was fretting as I tried to rack through thousands of thoughts in my frazzled mind aimlessly. What can I say to make him stop?

Snap!

"Ok. Look. You have got a great skill there, you know? You know painters, artists? They draw, they paint. They have those skills that no ordinary people has, right? So, you kill people. That's a skill too, you know? That's a skill that no ordinary people has too. You have a skill. That's great, right?"

Oh, my god... What am I saying? Dammit!

His eyes sought me frantically. But I could sense that he began to lower his knife down a bit. At least, that's what I thought he did.

"Look. Even among artists, there are differences. Some are high-class artists who could draw good paintings. Some are low-class artists who could barely draw nice things. So, you can be a high-class killer, you know? You can kill those high-class people to make yourself a high-class killer. Not me. I'm an ordinary person. You get nothing from killin' me, right?"

Please! For God's sake, just go away before it's too late!

His tense shoulders began to slump and he gazed at me. His stare has softened. His forehead was sweaty. He must be very tensed and confused. Now I felt sorry for him. All of a sudden, he put down his knife and began to run towards the door. The door swung open.

Bang! Bang!

Frozen in fear, I tried to see what was happening from the corners of my teary eyes. I saw him trying to pry a pistol away from a police officer's hands. He was weakening. I saw... blood.

Bang! Bang!

I covered my ears and began to shout at the police officer as I saw him lying on the floor, in a pool of his own blood, motionless...

"Why did you kill him? WHY? WHY?"

All I remembered was heavy and pitiful crying.

Then, I was jolted from my sleep.

It was a nightmare.

However, my head was still throbbing from the impact of crying in the dream. The scary thing is that I could remember almost every detail of the dream.


It's indeed scary.
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Eat for the sake of health

Yes! That's my motto nowadays. Eat, but not for the sake of eating. Eat for the sake of health.

So, here are some good food photos again... after 2 weeks of silence, I guess.

This is lunch: Pork Mee Sua Soup from the same stall that sells Loh Shu Fun that I've posted previously. The soup is quite clear and there are pork innards, e.g. small intestine and liver besides pork strips and minced pork balls but I opted not to swallow everything.

Then, at night, my sister and I went to a nice Hakka restaurant, Ying Ker Lou at The Curve, Mutiara Damansara that serves authentic Hakka dishes. I'm a Hakka and I love Hakka dishes.

Here's my Lui Cha Rice. I opted for brown rice (healthier because brown rice is complex carbo, not like its "contemporary" - white rice, which is simple carbo). So, add RM1. The portion is considered big for me. The good thing about this dish is that it's mostly fiber and only a little bit of oil from the fried dried shrimps. Nuts and tofu are high in protein. Most importantly, it's my favorite Hakka dish!

My sis have this: Steamed Pork with Squid Strips. It comes with white rice but you can opt for brown rice with an additional charge of RM1. Not bad, springy and delicious.


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Online social networking sites are hacker playgrounds

Got this post straight from here. Let me post the whole thing.

Computer security researchers on Thursday warned that online social networking websites are playgrounds for hackers who can easily take advantage of people's trust. Opportunities for mischief abound as users place intimate details of their lives on profile pages and install mini-applications made by strangers that don't always have their privacy at heart.

In a trend pioneered with tremendous success by Facebook, social networking websites have opened their operating platforms to let outside developers craft fun, hip, or functional software "widgets" that can be added to profile pages. Malicious code can be hidden in such applications, computer security specialists Nathan Hamiel and Shawn Moyer said at a premier Black Hat conference in Las Vegas.

"I can't necessarily attack Facebook or MySpace, but I can attack their users all day long," Moyer told AFP. "Don't put anything on a Facebook account that you don't consider public."

People are prone to place faith in social networking widgets and links from friends, said Idea Information Security consultant Nathan Hamiel.

"People are going nuts adding applications they don't need," Hamiel told AFP.

"Every time they do that they are showing an implicit trust in whoever wrote the application, and most people don't know who that is."

Hamiel and Moyer showed peers software capable of plundering profile information, swiping people's "friends," or locking people out of their own MySpace pages.

A pair of MySpace engineers who attended the demonstration said that hacks are known risks in today's social platforms and that they had Hamiel's application deleted by the end of the talk. Fake postings on comment boards advising people to update software are ways to trick social network users into downloading malicious software that can commandeer control of machines, Hamiel said.

"Social networks really don't care if you get pawned or not," Hamiel said, using slang referring to a computer user being dominated and humiliated by hackers.

"People know if they go on a computer and download a program they could get a virus. They don't have the same view of how dangerous that can be on a social networking site."

Hackers can write seemingly legitimate widgets that "go rogue" after spreading to enough social network members, according to Hamiel.

"It is not a problem with a particular site," Hamiel said. "It is a problem with social networking in general."

Even if tainted applications are deleted, the odds are that the data from profile pages was already copied onto an outside computer, according to Hamiel and Moyer.

"MySpace and Facebook have no control over my servers," Hamiel said. "Once the content is moved from their site they have no control over that."

Those thinking that they will stay safe by not having social networking pages may still vulnerable to trouble, according to the security specialists. Another ruse is to create social networking profiles for people using information mined from the Internet and then for the imposters to send out "friends requests." Those that take the bait give open doors to the private data in their profiles.

"We think you should make a profile for yourself before somebody else does," Moyer said. "Just don't put anything there that you don't consider public. And trust, but verify when people want to be your friend."

My Note: Today's world is totally disastrous :(
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